The present invention relates to a parking violation recording system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system for quickly recording violations which occur when a person parks illegally, such as parking within a handicapped parking spot without authorization or parking beyond an authorized time period.
Parking spaces are frequently in short supply and high in demand. Accordingly, cities and towns will often provide metered parking spaces and handicapped parking spaces. Handicapped spaces are designated only for authorized handicapped persons. The parking meters accept coins or dollar bills in return for time on the meter, which represents the amount of authorized time that the vehicle may remain within the parking space. If the vehicle remains within the parking space after the meter expires, the owner of the parked vehicle is subject to citation or towing.
The standard practice of issuing parking violations involves the use of officials, commonly referred to as “meter-maids”. These officials scour the streets in search of violators. Once a violation is located, the official exits their vehicle, if not traveling on foot, and records important vehicle information. The officer then writes out a written acknowledgment of the violation, referred to as a parking citation or ticket.
Unfortunately, this process requires considerable time to search for and record violations. This time is costly and could be more productively used. In addition, parking violation officials frequently find numerous vehicles which are simultaneously violating parking laws. While the official is preparing one written citation, owners of other vehicles exit the scene before a violation can be issued. This also results in loss of money to the city.
Private parking spaces are also available in areas where parking is in short supply. These parking spaces typically come at some expense to the vehicle owner, but usually offer the convenience of not requiring that the owner pay money throughout the day. Moreover, private parking spaces often offer greater security and a convenient location. Many private garages issue a fixed number of monthly parking passes sometimes costing $200.00–$300.00 or more. Unfortunately, unauthorized persons often park in the assigned spaces resulting in significant inconvenience to both the owner of the private parking lot and the owner of the vehicle which is entitled to the parking space. In order to reduce the unauthorized parking within the assigned spaces, the parking lot owners will often employ expensive attendants to monitor the parking lot.
Various attempts have been made to overcome the problems associated with monitoring and recording the violations within a parking lot. U.S. Pat. No. 6,459,386 describes a parking violation monitoring system wherein a police vehicle drives down the street to record violations. The police vehicle includes cameras mounted on both sides of the vehicle which view parking meters and vehicle license plates to determine whether a violation has occurred. If the parking meter registers a lack of payment, the person's license plate is recorded and a ticket is mailed to the vehicle's owner. Meanwhile, U.S. Pat. No. 6,559,776 describes a parking control system which detects the presence of vehicles within a parking spot. This system further includes processors to determine whether the vehicle is authorized, and if a violation has occurred, the occurrence is communicated to a central processing office which takes corrective action. U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 2003/0128136 illustrates a parking meter which includes audio/visual communications with the central station. The parking meter transmits information regarding whether money has been accepted.
Unfortunately, the various automated systems suffer from various drawbacks. For example, the constructions are expensive to manufacture, difficult to use and/or require additional housings placed in the vicinity of the parking spaces.
Thus, there is a significant need for an improved parking surveillance system for recording parking violations.
There is an additional need for a parking surveillance system which is inexpensive to manufacture, unobtrusive and simple to install in the vicinity of a monitored parking space.